What You’ll Need

A two-liter plastic bottle

scissors

push-pin

rocks or gravel

potting soil

seeds of your choice

small amount of tape

adult supervision

What You’ll Do

Step 1: Remove the label from the bottle. If the label doesn’t come off easily, fill the bottle with warm tap water until thewater rises above the label. Let stand for 10 or 15 minutes. The label should peel off easily.

Step 2: Measure four inches down from the plastic bottle cap. Draw a line and cut off the bottle top at this point. Place a thin layer of small rocks or gravel in the bottom of the bottle for drainage. Fill halfway with potting soil. Following the instructions on the seed package, plant the seeds. Water just a sprinkle — too much and you’ll drown your plants.

Step 3: With a push-pin, make several holes in the top of the bottle cap. (It’s easier than it sounds.) Screw cap onto cutoff top of bottle. This is now the lid of your greenhouse bottle. Carefully place on top of the bottle, securing it with a small piece of tape on one side.

Step 4: Set the bottle in a sunny place and wait for your seeds to sprout. When they get about an inch high, remove the bottle top and let the plants grow until you are ready to transplant outdoors or into another pot.

Note: Single-serving-size plastic bottles work equally well, only you can’t get as many plants in them. For these smaller greenhouses, measure down 31⁄2 inches from the top instead of 4 inches.

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19 Comments on Grow plants indoors

I had my kids do this at our last den meeting, and my son’s seeds are sprouting beautifully! We couldn’t punch holes in the lids, so we just loosened them, and it seems to be working nicely. We used Juicy Juice bottles. So, we’re reusing materials while earning our World Conservation Badges! This was a great, simple project that we can do over and over again.